Islam and the West By Lisa DePasquale

Islam, a faith that is so similar to Christianity yet so
different has left many confused yet it is a prevalent faith that
has dominated in numbers. Why is it the second largest religion
in the world yet the average American has limited if not any
knowledge of this religion? It is sickening that those who claim
to know the “true” Islam are actually the ones that have no
conception of it, or in reality Christianity.

I once had a discussion with a friend about Islam and I was
shocked to find the same response continue in a repeated fashion.
“What is Islam?” One young woman answered, “the religion which
condemns women and fights for a God who loves to kill.”

I also researched online just to see the ‘opinions’ conservative
Christians have on Islam. I came this organization called
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. At the end of the
page under “What is Islam,” it concluded with, “Islam is a
growing and aggressive religion that seeks to submit everyone on
the planet to its rule.”

The greatest reticules we have on Islam often times isn’t the
average person, its conservatives Christians. It shames me that
my own religion would be so ignorant and so close-minded to the
world around us, and most importantly to a faith that is so close
to us yet different. Why can Muslims openly appreciate the
“People of the Book”, but many Christians view Muslims as a
religion that embodies violence and inequality? It’s due to the
lack of information or in this case “accurate” information.

Media skews and distorts what is neutral to something that is
dramatically different and in most cases scandalous. It
dramatizes every bit of information to appeal to our eager and
curious nature. For example, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is
portrayed through Americans TV’s in a way that makes Palestine
seem like a bunch of Hamas terrorist groups who want to use force
to eliminate the Israelis. While this is partially true we forget
to consider that there are also many Muslims and Christians
within Palestine that yearn for non-voilent ways of voicing their
opinions through peaceful terms.